Basics of Microbiology Flashcards
What are microorganisms (microbes)?
What are the four common characteristics associated with them?
Life forms too small to be seen by the human eye. Microbe is a term of convenience, microscopic size and being unicellular are not absolute characteristics.
- Diverse in form/function
- Inhabit every environment that supports life
- Many are single-celled, some form complex structures, and some are multicellular
- Live in microbial communities
Microbes are _ and _
Ubiquitous (present, found everywhere) and abundant (existing in large quantities)
What are the eight types of microorganisms?
Bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, algae, viruses, multicellular animal parasites, prions
What measurement is used for microorganisms?
Very small units of the metric system are called micrometers (um) and nanometers (nm).
Acellular and unicellular microbes extend over a range of sizes from nanometers to micrometers
What does pathogenic mean?
Disease-producing organisms (bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms can be pathogenic).
What does symbiosis mean?
Symbiosis means living together; interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both.
What is the human microbiome and what can it do?
A group of microbes that live stably on or in the human body. They can help maintain good health, prevent growth of pathogenic microbes, and may help train the immune system to discriminate threats.
What is the normal microbiota?
The collection of acquired microorganisms on or in a healthy human.
Begin acquiring before birth, more acquired as newborns, may colonize the body indefinitely, may colonize the body fleetingly (making them transient microbiota).
What is the transient microbiota?
Microorganisms that colonize the body for a while and then go away.
Microorganisms that are only temporarily found in the human body, and these may include pathogenic microorganisms. Hygiene and diet can alter both the resident and transient microbiota
What are prebiotics and what are some examples of them?
Prebiotics are foods (typically high-fiber foods) that act as food for human microflora. Prebiotics are used to improve the balance of these microorganisms.
Examples: Onion, soy beans, asparagus, bananas, leek, bread, artichoke, and garlic.
*Microflora is the community of microorganisms, including algae, fungi, and bacteria that live in or on another living organism or in a particular habitat.
What are probiotics and what are some examples?
Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms intended to maintain or improve the “good” bacteria (normal microflora) in the body.
Examples: Aged cheese, bitter chocolate, kefir, sour cream, miso soup, pickles, probiotic milk, and yogurt.
Where are microbes found, how abundant are they, and how long have they been around?
Microbes are tiny living things that are all around us. They live in water, soil, and air. The human body is also home to around 40 trillion microbes and 30 trillion body cells. Microbes are very abundant and have been around for around 4 billion years.
What are some ways that microbes impact human life and the planet?
- A few are pathogenic (disease-producing): Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Essential to the cycles of nature required for higher life
forms to exist - Decompose organic waste
- Generate oxygen by photosynthesis
- Produce chemical products such as ethanol, acetone, and vitamins
- Produce fermented foods such as vinegar, cheese, and
bread - Produce products used in manufacturing (e.g., cellulose) and disease treatment (e.g., insulin)
- Beneficial and even essential for human health
What is the function of the human microbiome?
The human microbiome is the collection of microbes that live on and within humans. Most species within the microbiome are not harmful and can assist in maintaining human health. An important role of the human microbiome is to fight off other pathogenic microbes as well.
What are the three domains in classifying microorganisms?
Bacteria, archaea, and eukarya
How are microorganisms named and classified?
By their genus and species
Each organism has two names: the genus and species (specific epithet). They are italicized or underlined. The genus is capitalized and the species is lowercase. The scientific names are latinized and used worldwide, and may be descriptive or may honor a scientist.
Example: Escherichia coli Named after the discoverer, Theodor Escherich and describes the bacteriums habitat (the large intestine or colon).
Example:Staphylococcus aureus Describes the clustered (staphylo-) spherical (cocci) cells, and the gold-colored (aureus) colonies.
What are the seven major types of microbes?
Prions, viruses, bacteria, protists, unicellular algae, fungi, and helminths.
What is commensalism (symbiosis type)?
One organism benefits and the other is unaffected (an example is bacteria on the skin).
What is mutualism (symbiosis type)?
Both organisms benefit (an example is gut bacteria).
What is parasitism (symbiosis type)
One organism benefits and the other is harmed.
What are the differences between normal and transient microbiota?
Normal microbiota is always present on or in the body. Transient microbiota is not always present and most of the time is pathogenic.
Taxonomy
Science of classifying living species based on shared characteristics.
What is the bacteria, archaea, and eukarya naming system based on?
16s rRNA gene
What do cells need to be classified as a cell?
A cell membrane, DNA, and ribosomes.
